20 Years Later Than Planned
by miakalacka
Summary: "Hi, Beca!" the caller practically sings and Beca squeezes her eyes tightly willing away the impending headache, "My name is Chloe Beale and I'm head of the Barden Elementary School Fair Planning Committee." Beca nearly hangs up. She so nearly does, her thumb even hovers over the disconnect button but she doesn't. That's bad customer service. v AU w/ vague nods to canon
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi everyone, this is based on how my uncle met his wife and I just think it's a cute story, and Beca and Chloe are cute too.**

 **Rated M for harsh language because: Beca**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **20 years later than planned**_

* * *

"Mitchell's Records and New Sound Studios, this is Beca speaking."

She's bored. Dear fucking god she's bored. A phone call right now is a welcome distraction, but it's really the lesser of two evils because fuck no she doesn't want to have to communicate with anyone.

" _Hi, Beca!"_ the caller practically sings and Beca squeezes her eyes tightly willing away the impending headache, _"My name is Chloe Beale and I'm head of the Barden Elementary School Fair Planning Committee."_

Beca nearly hangs up. She so nearly does, her thumb even hovers over the disconnect button but she doesn't. That's bad customer service.

"Um, hi… Chloe," she tries, she always does, to be peppy, friendly and approachable, but her chronic case of resting bitch face always somehow seeps into her voice.

She sort of knows Chloe, they did go to high school together but barely spoke and were never really friends. Beca used to admire Chloe from afar but being only 17 didn't realise those feelings were in fact on the lady-lovin' end of her bisexual spectrum. Chloe had gone to a fancy college up in New York after they graduated. They all thought they'd seen the last of her when she moved to Cambodia to teach underprivileged children but came back years later to be a teacher at the elementary school, a ball of sunshine and genuine smile gushing about coming home to her roots.

Now, the town they live in is almost big enough to almost be a part of the nearby city, and everyone kind of knows anyone who's anyone. Like heads of school committees.

Chloe either doesn't notice the tired voice or chooses to ignore it because she barrels on with all the vigour of a young kid on a sugar high.

" _We are a close-knit, driven group of ladies whose dream is to run the best fair this town's ever seen,"_ Beca can practically hear the hopeful grin in Chloe's voice, _"help turn our dreams into a reality?"_

"I um, well… first of all, yikes," Beca stumbles, Chloe sounded more like she was appealing for the sick children than… whatever it is Chloe wants.

"Yeah… I guess, how?" Beca winces at the awkward delivery and hurries to fix it, "I mean sure I'd love to, how can I help?"

Chloe giggles and continues, _"Well, we'd like some music, obviously, and who better to supply it than Barden's most respected music store!"_

"Right…" Beca pauses.

" _We'd love for you to sponsor the event, or simply do the music. Basically we were hoping DJ Mitchell would spin for us?"_ Chloe chuckles goofily, " _Drop some mad-lib beats."_

Beca squeezes her eyes shut, cringing. Dear lord. But sponsorship always looks good in the community, she can handle the slang, years of it has hardened her.

" _Or she could simply make music for it? Compile a playlist?"_

"She?"

" _DJ Mitchell."_

"Oh, oh yeah obviously," she starts pacing, idly twirling the phone cord around her pinky.

" _So… could I maybe speak to her… or a manager?"_

Beca blanches, does she not sound old enough to be the manager, let alone the owner? She's 36 for crying out loud.

"I am the manager," she states firmly, lips pressed firm.

Chloe doesn't falter, " _could you contact DJ Mitchell, then?"_

Beca waits, internally battling with herself, hands flailing aimlessly.

"Well, uh, see, DJ Mitchell hasn't exactly done anything, done a gig that is, in nearly 9 years," Beca anxiously runs a hand through her hair.

" _I'm aware."_

Goddamnit Chloe.

"What makes you think she'd come back?"

" _Why did she ever leave?"_ Chloe's voice is challenging, like she knows the person she's talking to, is in fact, DJ Mitchell.

"Career change, had a kid, who knows?!" Beca retorts defensively, but droops, the weight of the truth hanging just a little heavy over her head, "maybe things just didn't work out the way she thought they would."

" _I hear inklings of the truth in your tone of voice,"_ the words are serious but Chloe's voice is gentle.

Beca tosses up her options. It couldn't hurt to just stand at the fair and press buttons and twiddle dials, right? Or she didn't even need to do that, she could just send the playlist. Or apologise and hang up on red cordial Chloe, out of her responsibility, out of mind.

"I guess I could be a sponsor for the fair."

Jesus, Beca, caved that quickly.

" _Who, DJ Mitchell?"_

Beca sighs, resigned, "this is her, yes, I'll 'drop mad-lib beats' for you."

Working in the music industry meant Beca had spent a lot of time around loud music and thumping bass that reverberated in her skull. The headaches that accompany hangovers, which progressively got worse the further into her twenties she got, were enough to make a beat of her own as they pounded in her head every morning. Screaming crowds that left her ears ringing come morning were her norm on weekends, but nothing had prepared her for the excited squeal that assaulted her through the receiver. The tinny noise pierced through her eardrums, causing Beca to launch the phone halfway across the front counter. The coiled cord stretching before springing back, smacking her neatly in the chin. A good shot which would be funny to watch back on the security footage, but hurt like a bitch. She'd have to go through and delete that before Stacie could get her hands on it.

Frantically scrabbling for the dangling receiver, Beca somehow manages to haphazardly press the earpiece to her head and respond. Thank whoever that she's working alone this afternoon.

" _Oh em aca-gee, DJ Mitchell I'm such a fan!"_

Chloe's professional, bake-sale mom demeanour has completely dropped and a semblance of high school Chloe's general excitement for life shines through.

"Yeah, um, yeah, thanks," Beca drawls, ungracefully untangling herself from the phone cord.

" _It's so nice to meet you!"_ Chloe squeals _, "Well, talk, 'cause we're on the phone but… yeah you get the idea."_

Should she mention it? Mention how they have in fact met, shared a drab soul-sucking classroom where Ms Keane taught them biology with all the enthusiasm of a wet dish towel. Hell, it would be awkward not to, right? But then again, does anyone really want or need to be reminded of those years. Everyone was pimplier, bitchier and the trends of the time should never see the light of day again.

Beca can almost feel the tension from the elephant in the room, and it's through a bloody phone. For goodness sake, she can't even keep her cool and Chloe's not even in the same room. Besides Chloe surely wouldn't remember little (quite literally) old Beca.

"Well-"

" _I should say meet again… You remember the high school days, right?"_

Beca blows out a puff of air she didn't even know she was holding, thank _fuck_ she didn't need to make that decision.

"Unfortunately. Wasn't sure if you even remembered me…"

Chloe laughs, and it's as sweet and real as Beca remembers, and just like that it's not awkward anymore.

" _Don't be silly Beca, you weren't as invisible as you think. You and your heavy eyeliner, Doc Martens, ear-piercings…?"_ Chloe teases, biting back a giggle.

Beca groans, "Dear god, please stop."

" _It was such a look, you were a walking lone-wolf stereotype."_

"Hey we all express ourselves differently at that age."

" _Oh of course,"_ Chloe's voice becomes excessively serious, _"we needed to find ourselves."_

Beca bites her lip, fighting back the wave of embarrassment that coursed through her body.

"Well, I'm not apologising, I was a hit with the boys."

" _Uh huh, and that was the be-all and end-all of high school."_

"Of course," Beca says seriously, eyebrows knitting together even though Chloe can't see.

Chloe laughs again, sweeter than sugar.

"And don't go attacking me about stereotypes, you were Little Miss Prom queen, with your blonde-hair blue-eyed cheerleader style," Beca ribs back, "you weren't fooling anyone with that."

" _I'll have you know I was the nicest girl in school,"_ Chloe responds haughtily, but the giggle that follows softens the defence, _"Besides, I've darkened to red now."_

Beca smiles at the back and forth, then catches herself. What're they doing, two 30-somethings bantering about high school? It's unusual, and Beca feels like they should stop, they were never _really_ friends. Beca catches herself again, for the opposite reason. Isn't that what stopped her all through high school? She never spoke back because she assumed she and Chloe were never _really_ friends, but they were never _really_ friends because they never spoke. Jesus, Beca after all these years, you've worked out the idiotic cycle you threw yourself dramatically into.

Marching headlong into the brambles that are anxiety, she continues chatting, "Wait, so you're a redhead now?"

Chloe hums affirmation, and Beca is struck with an image of 17 year old Chloe Beale with flaming locks. Beca's only known her as the endlessly pretty blonde. It's-

"Weird. That's a weird mental picture."

" _It's much less shocking in real life. Especially because I'm old now."_

"Old? What do you mean old, we're not that old," Beca laughs.

Chloe was only a little older than herself. Months older not years.

" _We're 36, Beca."_

"You say that like we're preparing for retirement," Beca grins, "Hurtling like old grey mares towards the days of botox and smelling like mashed potato."

Chloe laughs, and Beca feels positively warm knowing she did that.

" _Help, I've fallen and can't get up,"_ Chloe groans, putting on a crotchety old lady voice.

Beca giggles, and what the fuck did she just giggle. First off she's a badass, second she's 36 and third _she's a badass._

" _Where did the years go?"_ Chloe sighs, whimsical.

"Devoured by our careers and desperation for sorting out our lives before we turned 27?"

" _Speak for yourself,"_ Beca can hear Chloe's grin, " _But do tell, what did the Badass Beca Mitchell get up to after high school? I'll admit, I followed you a little when you did a bit of DJ'ing, but you dropped off the radar."_

"She did exactly what you'd expect a delinquent child to do, forced off to college by her father, met a boy," Beca stops, afraid to reveal too much.

" _Aw, who's the boy?"_ Chloe's voice has a playful lilt to it now.

"Jesse, boyish good looks, perfect husband."

Chloe 'aw's and Beca realises 'woops', that sounds like they're still a happy working class family. Dear god, two 30-somethings bantering _and_ gossiping about boys over the phone.

"Well, you'd think but a divorce doesn't reflect that," Beca can't help the tinge of bitterness that laces her tone, and she cringes because she's ruined a nice moment again.

Chloe pauses, the first sign of potential discomfort, _"well… what happened?"_

"Does it matter now if it didn't work out," Beca sighs, leaning back against the counter and looking up at a photo of them in their college days.

He may be an ex, but Jesse is her children's father, and a friend.

Chloe is silent on the other end for a long time. Is it hot in here, suddenly she's sweating uncomfortably.

"Shit, I'm sorry that was depressing, I don't know why I said that," Beca immediately apologises.

" _Don't apologise for feeling things,"_ Chloe's voice is so gentle and kind, it makes Beca want to cry.

Because yeah, she does feel things and fuck if she hasn't been harbouring them since her divorce. She and Jesse had been good, easy. She was a girl he was a boy (her brain briefly sings the riff of Sk8r Boi, wtf), he was cute, boyishly dashing and loved music as much as she did. Looking back, she could see the red flags. Jesse, as charming as he was, subtly needed everything to go the way he imagined, and Beca was his leading lady. He was lost in a movie. He engaged to her in an extravagant, public way, serenading her and sliding on his knees to end in front of her, ring in hand and hopeful grin amped to max power. Even their wedding was something else; champagne, sunset, autumn leaves, and there were at least two horses involved. At the reception, they danced to some fabulous movie score that Beca hadn't even known. She'd fallen for the flowers and that smile, and the illusion that that was what she needed to be doing at 26.

They started on kids when they were 27, just like honest working couples did. That was probably the beginning of the end. Their first child, a beautiful young girl they named Madison, was so impossibly small and fragile to them, it made Jesse crazy protective. Which was sweet, but damaging. They argued about it so much that Beca became desensitised to whatever Jesse was worrying about. She let him do what he wanted, which included a second kid, little Jared, and Jesse was better but the core problems still infested their relationship. He wasn't malicious and never physically abused her, but he was manipulative about how the kids were raised which meant she hardly felt like a mother and more like a babysitter. In retrospect, it had gotten really bad by the time her mother snapped her out of whatever daze she had been lulled into and called for a divorce. Textbook example of the boiling frog metaphor. By 31 she was single with two kids, with not really any direction for her near future.

So back to her hometown it was. She started a business with her old friend Stacie, and worked her way up from there, no specific end goal in mind but just to get by, and keep the business afloat. Thankfully, her pull as a mildly successful producer helped the store with reputation and now, now it's a known brand. Beca scoffs at her choice of words, 'brand', as though it were LA. Whatever, not the point.

Beca hurriedly clears her throat, "Yeah, well, uh… feelings are a beast to deal with…"

Fuck, she's floundering.

" _Y'know, I never pegged you for ever settling down,"_ Chloe mercifully cuts in, deceptively oblivious.

"Neither did I, but adulthood changes a lot," Beca sighs with relief, and sends a prayer to Chloe, her hand pressed to her heart and eyes turned skyward.

There's a lull in the conversation, and it's not awkward, much to Beca's surprise.

"So," Beca clears her throat, "I'll bring my fancy equipment, I have a few fun interactive light thingies for the kids."

There's a sharp intake of breath as Chloe catches up, _"Oh! Yes, definitely bring that."_

"What time?"

" _Huh?"_

"What time should I bring the stuff? To Barden Elementary I assume,"

" _Oh, well how long will it take to set up? The fair starts at 11am and ends at 3pm, and yes, it's just in the school quad."_

"Perhaps 9am to be safe, then?"

" _Sure. Oh, and feel free to call me and set up a meeting at the location to scout out the size and all that jazz."_

"Kid friendly music, I assume?" she holds the phone between her cheek and shoulder and grabs the nearest bit of paper.

" _Gosh, yes of course, which is tricky in this day and age but you're talented, Beca."_

"Damn right I am," Beca mutters to herself as she writes down a few reminders.

" _I heard that,"_ Chloe laughs, _"Still a cocky little shit, I see?"_

"The one that Aubrey Posen couldn't get enough of," Beca smirks, remembering how easy it was to piss off her blonde volleyball captain.

" _Don't tell Bree, but I always secretly loved watching you get under her skin,"_ Chloe stage whispers.

Beca laughs, "You were watching me, Beale?"

" _Like I said, Mitchell, you weren't as invisible as you though,"_ Chloe throws back, _"besides, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?"_

Beca feels her face heat up and go red. That was loaded.

"I don't think I know what you mean," she thinks she manages to keep a steady voice.

For _fuck's_ sake, she's an adult now, Chloe does not get to make her nervous anymore!

" _I always wondered if you may have had the littlest crush on me, Mitchell,"_ Chloe's voice has a playful lilt, but it's charged.

Beca screams internally. She could really use a hole in the ground right now.

"A lot of people admired you from afar," Beca chooses her words carefully, and still kicks herself at the choice.

" _So you admired me from afar?"_

"I never said that."

" _Beca."_

Beca sucks her lips between her teeth and squeezes her eyes shut. Christ above is she really about to do this nervous 'I was in like like with you but that was nearly 20 years ago'.

"Yeah. Yeah, maybe I was in _like_ like with you."

There's a small squeak of victory from the other end of the line and Beca rolls her eyes.

"Shut up."

" _I didn't say anything."_

Beca tries so hard not to grin like an idiot, but talking to Chloe just flows, and it's easy to relax and enjoy.

" _I always kind of wish you'd talked to me."_

Beca's stomach drops at the confession, and she feels… disappointed? All those years they could have been friends. Or more. Did that sentence mean anything? Was Chloe hinting at something? Should she say something smooth and vaguely flirtatious? Instead Beca responds with a most eloquent question, perfectly worded and exactly how she'd planned in her head-

"Why?"

" _What do you mean why?"_ Chloe laughs, _"I guess I was just curious about the odd 'alt-girl' that Aubrey so desperately hated."_

"Well, maybe if she'd got to know me we would have been best of friends and happily sung kumbaya around a campfire," Beca scoffed as she absently picked a bit of lint.

" _Wow you really had that thought out."_

Beca doesn't dignify that with a response, instead huffs indignantly. It leaves another silence. Again, not awkward.

" _Well, um…"_ Chloe sounds shy, and for the first time in perhaps ever, unsure.

"Yeah, you should, ah…" floundering, again.

Typical.

" _It was really nice talking to you again, Beca."_

It's the way Chloe says her name that causes something deep within her to blink to life again. A faint flutter that ticked away in her heart whenever Chloe Beale was involved. Something that had been dormant for so long, pushing through the dirt and flowering in a place that had been churned up and nearly ruined. Somewhere that Beca hadn't realised anything would grow again.

Ask her, you should ask her. _**Ask her.**_

"So, Chloe," Beca blurts out, hoping she sounds much more suave than she looks, feels or expects. She feels a surge of confidence, just a pissy little spark but it's there and she latches onto it like Hugh Carter from kindergarten did to her way back then, "when do I get to take you out?"

There's silence on the other end and Beca's eyeballs burn from the embarrassment raging through her.

Why _the_ _ **fuck**_ _would she think that was a good idea_ **.** She can imagine the verbal lashing her brain is giving to her heart right now. She's already planning her escape, Stacie could totally handle the store on her own if Beca fled the country, or if she just never showed her face in this town again. The supermarket delivered didn't they? Her kids hadn't picked up any sports; Jared was too young and Maddy preferred to stick to drawing and comic books, so no one would notice them missing. Comic books could be delivered as well, right? Yes, it was possible, Beca could so easily flee like a penguin with its bum on fire and no one would-

" _I'd love to."_

Wait, what? Don't react like an idiot, she said yes it's quite clear what she meant-

"Wait, what?"

Nice one, Beca, really nailed it.

Chloe giggles, softer than a forest stream, _"I'd love to go out with you."_

"Like, on a date…?" Beca's free hand stretches out in front of her, frozen in shock, "Like a _date_ date."

" _I knew what you meant, and I'd love to."_

The hand clenches then flails.

" _A_ date _date."_ Chloe giggles again, _"'Cause I may have been in_ like _like with you in high school, too."_

Beca rolls her eyes at Chloe's antics, but the nervous boulders in her stomach calm to butterflies.

"Um, ok yeah, so coffee…?" Her voice rises on the vowels and she instantly cringes, that is literally the least attractive thing when your date says 'I dunno, what d'you wanna do?'

" _Coffee sounds nice,"_ she can hear the brighter-than-sunshine smile as it curves around Chloe's words, and it relaxes her instantly.

"Awes…ome. Awesome, I don't say awes…" Beca mouths 'what the fuck' and smacks herself in the head, " _Bonwick's_ at 3, this Saturday?"

Better, being assertive is better.

"Bonwick's _at 3, can't wait."_

"Yeah, same, can't wait," stop talking Beca, "see you then."

Hang up before your mouth really throws you under the bus.

" _Bye, Beca,"_ Chloe sounds slightly breathless, and a girl can only dream she was as nervous as Beca was.

"Bye, Chloe."

There's a beep and the line goes dead. It takes perhaps 4 seconds for Beca's brain to start firing again, and when it does, it explodes with staggering amounts of anxiety.

She drops the receiver as she tries to hang it up and it's a scramble but somehow it ends up back on the hook.

Holy shit that just happened.

"Holy shit."

She lets her hand drop from where it had remained frozen since the call.

"Holy fuck."

That's probably the only thing her brain can handle right now. Mindless cursing.

Also a date. First of all she got a _date,_ second of all a date with _Chloe Beale_.

20 years later than planned, with a few minor pit-stops on the road but Beca wouldn't change a thing.

* * *

 **What did you think? I'd love to hear your reviews and feedback :)**

 **\- MK**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: so I this is still true to my uncle and aunt (Frank and Donna)'s story, this is based on his proposal to her and I think this is super cute as well.**

 **Thankyou so much to everyone who reviewed and/or favourited, it meant so much to me being a first time publisher.**

 **Warning for swearing again coz: Beca, but it's much lighter**

 **Anyway, enjoy part 2 :)**

* * *

 _ **You make me feel so loved**_

* * *

Of all the places Beca thought she would be at this point in her life, it wasn't here. If she's being honest, and she'd never admit she was, she hadn't actually planned her life beyond LA. It was just kind of get there and make it as a producer, then roll with the punches until she retired with a Grammy or two. Sure, she'd done the get to LA part and had produced for a few C-List artists, even co-produced a one-hit-wonder, but the lights had faded and in the music biz you never really had any consistent friends. It was everyone for themselves there. It didn't really turn out how Beca had expected.

Which is why she was content in her little hometown, with her dingy recording studio and controlled mess of a record store. Yeah, it was only recording jingles for local businesses and indie bands, but she was making music. Surrounded by the thing she loved.

Her attention is snapped out of her thoughts by a loud thump as Jared jumps the last seven (he's recently upgraded from five) steps of the staircase instead of walking down them.

"Ready to go?" She's worked on it, and maybe her voice is still a little flat, but at least now she can show enthusiasm without needing to fake it.

"Yeah mom, got my stuff," Jared shrugs a far too large sports bag onto his shoulder.

"Cleats?"

"Yep."

"Shinguards?"

"Yep."

"Water bottle?"

" _Yes,_ mom," Jared sighs dramatically but smiles.

Beca flattens his perfectly styled messy crop and coos, an incredibly childish action that elicits a huff and a 'mom, I'm _twelve_ now' from Jared every time. She loves it, even if it doesn't do her resident badass image any favours.

"Maddy!" Beca yells up the steps.

An ambiguous noise that could be a 'yep' comes down the steps and seconds later Maddy trudges down the steps, overnight bag slung around her neck.

A car horn sounds outside and she looks out the front sliding glass doors to see Jesse standing at the door of his blue sedan.

She walks out onto the large deck that dominates the front of their large block of land 15 minutes out of town. She smiles politely at him and waves quickly to say 'yes, they're coming' and turns back around.

Maddy is out first followed by Jared in a mess of lanky limbs. It's frustrating, he's shot up with the first wave of puberty and already overtaking her in height.

"You kids be good and all that stuff," she waves her hand dismissively and gathers them both in a tight hug, ignoring Jared's grunt of protest.

"Bye mom, love you."

"Seeya, mom."

"Say bye to-"

"Bye, Chloe!"

Chloe's voice calls from within the house somewhere, "Bye chickey-dees!"

At first Beca hated that nickname, but she'd quickly learnt that Chloe could make a nickname for everything, including her, and that she'd just have to deal with it.

Maddy shook her head with a defeated smile and Jared was already down the steps of the deck and out to the car.

"I love you, babies!" she calls after them.

She always hates seeing them go. She knows Jesse will care for them, but she's been a mother for 15 years now, she'll always worry. Chloe materialises beside her and wraps an arm around Beca's.

It isn't until the sedan disappears out the long gravel driveway and down the rural highway that either of them speak.

"So," Chloe leans her head down on her shoulder, "plans for tonight?"

"Nothing," Beca lets her head fall down to Chloe's, "nothing but being unashamedly lazy and you."

"Me?" she can hear Chloe's raised eyebrow in the question.

"You," Beca sighs and leans closer to her partner, "and maybe drinking wine."

Chloe snorts, "You're such a wine-mom."

"What do you mean by that?" Beca squawks defensively.

Chloe pulls away and turns around so that they're wrapped in each other, Chloe's arms resting over her shoulders and Beca's arms habitually sliding around her waist.

"You're a mom, who drinks wine," Chloe rolls her eyes and waggles her head like it's the most obvious thing ever.

"Well, it has been a few years since I last downed a shot," Beca squints one eye and smirks playfully.

"We really couldn't handle the hangover that comes with that," Chloe pulls Beca into her and she gladly tucks her head under Chloe's chin.

"We're positively ancient," is the muffled response.

" _Times keep a-changin', the world's rearrangin', but Becsy, ya timeless to me,"_ Chloe starts singing.

"Chlo, I swear to god," Beca warns but they both know it's empty.

Besides, they both knew Beca sort of, but would never admit that she enjoyed it.

 _"Hemlines are shorter, a beer cost a quarter, but time cannot take what comes free,"_ she doesn't stop, just starts to gently sway.

Chloe did this quite often. Just burst into song, seemingly prompted by nothing. It was usually musicals, Chloe claiming they were the most fun. Occasionally Chloe would bust out a current top 40 hit and shock everyone including Jared who pretended to absolutely not care. Sometimes, when the kids were with Jesse or a rare moment when neither was home, Chloe would belt a 2010's hit that Beca would never admit to joining in with. More often than either of them would say, a duet of the Weeknd or a rousing rendition of _Titanium_ would end particularly… heated. Sue her, Chloe was still an absolute fox.

 _"You're like a stinky old cheese, babe, just gettin' riper with age,"_ Chloe exaggerates a wink and lets Beca twirl her out.

Beca jumps in, _"You're like a fatal disease babe, but there's no cure so let this fever rage!"_

She pulls Chloe back with a snap and wraps an arm around her waist and continues the swaying. She's never really been proud of her Christopher Walken impression as it was really not that good. But honestly? If it makes Chloe laugh, she'll do anything.

 _"You're timeless to me,"_ Chloe skips to the very end, and Beca pouts in confusion.

"What? Not singing a musical number from start to finish?" Beca jokes, then places a hand on Chloe's forehead, "Are you feeling alright?"

Chloe giggles, but doesn't falter, _"You're timeless to me."_

Beca smiles a smile that she's only developed in recent years. It's one only Chloe's ever seen, and she doesn't know how to describe it, but if the soft smile she gets in return from Chloe every time is anything to go by, it's probably full of love.

 _"You're timeless to me,"_ it's barely singing now, but Beca sings it back softly as she leans in and presses the lightest of kisses to Chloe's lips.

She keeps her forehead pressed to Chloe's for a few beats, just revelling in being close to the one she loved, and Chloe seemed to have the same idea.

It's Beca who breaks the moment.

"You're so lame," she mutters.

Chloe huffs and leans backwards, her arms loosening from where they were wrapped around Beca's neck.

"Damn, Becsy, you really know what to say to sweep a girl off her feet," she rolls her eyes but grins warmly.

Beca shrugs and schools her face with the most infuriatingly smug look she can, "I know, sexy lady."

It receives the desired effect, Chloe scoffing and making a series of noises that could probably be interpreted as frustration or something similar.

"You're annoying and I hate you," Chloe pulls out of the embrace, "I'm going to have a bath, don't follow me."

"Is that reverse psychology 'cause like…" Beca rolls her hips sleazily, "I am a lady killer, and y'know, saving water and all that…"

" _Don't_ follow me," Chloe laughs and flips her the bird, "as soon as I'm out we'll do nothing but nothing all evening."

Beca chuckles and watches as she heads inside. She's glad this soft ribbing and affection between them hasn't diminished even after these years. They still act stupid around each other, doing dumb voices and nicknames. Because why not? They missed out on the honeymoon years of being teenagers and being silly and basking in the glory of puppy love, so they're just making up for lost time of course. Whenever Chloe referred to their pet pig (yes, Chloe coerced her into getting a pig for no good reason, do _not_ ask her about it) she would do so in a ludicrously high-pitched voice, saying ' _Piggley!'_ and drag out the 'e' until she reached a register only dogs could hear. Thinking about it, Beca realises how much weird shit she doesn't even question about Chloe anymore. She'll randomly launch into the final note of _Defying Gravity,_ fully belted and sustained then fall back into total silence? Beca doesn't even look up from her book now. She'll use the names of breakfast food to make a little song as she prepared it in the morning? Beca actually wrote a ditty about it to annoy Chloe. She has serious conversations, sometimes debates with their pet cat Veronica (Chloe's name choice, absolutely not hers)? Sometimes Beca thought the cat won.

She wanders back inside and stands aimlessly in the kitchen. It shouldn't be aimless. Her aim should be to make dinner, but its only 6:30 and the sun hasn't even begun to set plus she can't really be bothered. In a bit, she tells herself, as though she actually believes it.

Instead she moves into the living room and flops onto their squishy grey couch. She sits doing nothing just like she planned, and just listens to Chloe moving around the bathroom down the hall. Through the roar of the bath water running she can hear Chloe softly singing to herself. Eventually the water stops and the sound of a body plopping in to water is heard, followed by a drawn-out, unladylike groan. Beca chuckles to herself, Chloe was never one to be good at hiding how she feels.

Which is what has saved her these past few years. Being with Chloe has never made her feel so loved. Not once in the 6 years they've been together has she ever doubted Chloe's feelings for her. From their first date where they talked for hours until long after the moon had risen, to now where they spend boring adult time together with Beca doing paperwork for the store and Chloe grading papers, Chloe's little quirks made Beca feel so loved. It was the small things, the way she'll wordlessly get up from the dining table and put on a cup of tea for herself and a coffee for Beca without even asking. It's the way she'll force Beca to lie still while she gives her the backrub of the decade, ignoring all Beca's protests. It's the bigger things that Chloe never made a big deal, like how she would turn up at Beca's apartment the night when the kids went to Jesse's for that week. How she would politely stay out of sight whenever Jesse was around, because she just knew that Beca still felt a bit uncomfortable with the situation. She understood what Beca meant when she tried to explain her discomfort, even if Beca was about as intelligible as a three year old describing their favourite movie.

It was in the way Chloe had been so perfect about Maddy's initial contempt for her. Jared had been cool about it, being only 7 he loved Chloe the minute she bought him a book on the human body which used little people to describe the body's systems (which Beca though was a little bit weird but Jared took to it like cat hair to new black slacks). But Maddy was old enough to understand. Chloe, to her, was a replacement. Wise beyond her years, Beca thought ruefully. She was cordial, but cold and blew off spending any real get-to-know-you time with Chloe for months. But Chloe never, ever stopped trying. It wasn't until a fateful afternoon after watching a live action remake of _Frozen_ at the cinemas, Chloe playfully singing with Jared, that Maddy burst. It was kind of brutal to hear, the truths that Maddy spilled. But Chloe took every single cutting word on the chin. They talked it out, Maddy matured so much in the space of a day Beca forgot she was 10, and from then Chloe and Maddy's relationship did nothing but strengthen.

So yeah, Chloe loved her.

And Beca really, really loved Chloe.

She can't remember when she decided she really, really wanted to marry Chloe. Well, she can remember the day she first laid eyes on Chloe their freshman year of high school and was struck with such an intense schoolgirl infatuation she was sure she wanted to marry Chloe, but she can't remember when she decided she wanted to marry Chloe, the legitimate meaning behind the word.

She was shocked the night she realised it. Partly because after Jesse and having two kids, she never thought she'd properly meet someone again, and also because 1. Her parents didn't work out, 2. She didn't work out, 3. No way in hell would it be third time the charm. But then, y'know, _Chloe_ happened and rewrote every rule Beca had established.

Chloe made Beca want to try again.

She's pulled gently from her thoughts by Chloe's sweet voice floating through the house like a siren's call. _Over the Valley_ by Chloe's current favourite band _Pink Martini._ Such a middle aged woman sort of band, kind of like _Enya_ but more hipster and more smooth jazzy.

 _"Over the valley, I saw a silver cloud, with a pink lining…"_

Beca smiles, is it lame she finds the lyrics so relatable? She was a bit of a moody dark cloud when she and Chloe reconnected, but Chloe saw the pink lining within her. Maybe gold. Beca would change it to gold if she ever sung it. Sounds cooler.

 _"Over the valley, this house among the trees, where we've been hiding,"_ the song is originally sung by an alto with a voice as rich as caramel, but Chloe's strawberry starburst voice does the lyrics just as much justice, _"making our memories."_

Their modest house-almost-could-be-a-farm out of town felt so far detached when neither of them had to go anywhere at all, and Beca found she never really wanted to go anywhere when everything she needed to be content was wrapped around her with adorably mussy hair come morning.

It's the next bout of lyrics that sets Beca's feet in motion without her even realising it, the lyrics subconsciously speaking to her as her mind whizzes through the meaning.

 _If we could hold this way / in our hearts some way_

Before she knows it she's into her home recording studio (the only place she can fully trust Chloe to not search) and reaching to the back of her desk's third drawer down. She pulls out the little velvet bag and tips its contents into her hand. The simple silver band sits patiently in her palm, not mocking or daring her, just waiting. She'd had a long chat with Maddy and Jared, and they'd bought it together a few weeks ago. Now she was waiting for the opportune moment, it had to be perfect. She wasn't going to plan an extravagant dinner with moonlit walks and candles and a French dude playing the violin, but she was still a perfectionist, and Chloe deserved nothing short of Beca's true, honest, heartfelt feelings.

 _We would never roam / ever far from home_

Before she can chicken out she grips the ring tightly and walks back out to the living room. She idly taps her closed fist against her chin, thinking about how she's going to do it. She could wait until Chloe emerges from the bathroom, gown-clad and stunning with her wet hair in ringlets and face free of makeup. But then her small surge of confidence might have died by then.

She needed that cavalier attitude she'd had on the phone all those years ago. It was a different kind **_ask her_ ** back then. God, had she really thought asking Chloe on a date was scary?

She just needed to be herself of course, that's what Chloe loved; Beca. Not the grand gestures she could potentially perform. What does Chloe love about her? She'd mentioned how caring she was, doing the little things for her, like bringing her breakfast or a drink in bed. Or in the bath.

An idea hits Beca so hard she freezes totally, mouth open like slapped fish. The thrill that follows as she realises that it's maybe an ok idea causes her heart to jump into her mouth and a small un-Beca-like squeak to emit from her.

 _Over the valley / just above the fray_

So Beca may be not slicker than warm butter and tended to trip over her words rather than deliver them with James Bond-esque finesse, but she did not usually get nervous.

Keyword usually.

Then again, she'd never proposed.

She takes a deep breath, and clenches the drink in her hand, ignoring the way the liquid tremors slightly with her shaking. The slight tinkling of the swizzle stick knocking against the rim really doesn't help.

"Chlo?" Beca knocks gently on the door and there's the smallest sound of swishing water.

Then a hum that probably means 'come in'.

 _The sun is setting / and when we're old a grey_

Beca walks in without much fuss. Chloe is laying blissfully in the rose scented water, her head resting back against a cute little whale cushion that had special suction cup bits that stick to the bath. Chloe insisted they buy it.

"Your favourite, babe," Beca says, kneeling and reaching across the bath and placing the lemon-lime and bitters glass on the window-sill opposite.

The sun burns brightly as it sets. The bathroom being on the west side meant that at the right time of day, the coloured tiles of the walls reflected the sunshine, which when added to the stainless steel amenities and clear shower stall walls creates a kaleidoscope of light.

She pauses briefly on the way back to press a quick kiss to Chloe's lips then sits back on her heels.

"With a shot of vodka, of course."

Chloe hums appreciatively, a warm smile decorating her face, "Thanks, love."

The kaleidoscope's got nothing on Chloe's smile.

She watches nervously as Chloe reaches out to take the glass, eyeing the swizzle-stick. The ring isn't immediately obvious, but Chloe's going to notice soon enough, right?

Chloe takes a sip and places it back on the counter. It's so painfully obvious to Beca, the ring twinkled in the refracted light as it passed through the sepia liquid for crying out loud.

Honestly, she did not know what to do right now. The idea was original and quirky just like she was sure Chloe would like, but she hadn't planned for her not seeing the ring. She could awkwardly mention it…

"So… I thought we could indulge in season 1 of Orange is the New Black? It's the best one," Beca does what she knows, and talks.

"Mm, yeah that sounds nice," Chloe murmurs.

Stumped, again.

"Or," Beca drags the 'o', "we could totally get silly drunk and dance to 90s hits in our underpants?"

Chloe giggles, "That is a sight no one needs to see."

She finally opens her eyes and connects with Beca's, who feigns hurt.

"Aw, Becsy, don't be that way," Chloe pouts stupidly and cups Beca's chin, "turn that frown upside down."

"Fuck off."

Instead Chloe smushes her face and coos, "Who's a grumpy bum."

Beca gives her best stony glare but all it achieves is stretching Chloe's grin impossibly wider.

"Maybe I need that shot of vodka," she mutters and glances at the glass.

Chloe teases her a bit more until Beca's façade cracks and a goofy grin splits her face.

"I love you…" so she's a person who suddenly says what they're feeling now, but she thinks that's quite alright.

Chloe smiles warmly, the smile no longer teasing and now the genuine Beale Megawatt Special.

"I love you, too," she's a bit thrown by the declaration but Chloe just rolls with it.

"Drink up before I do," Beca nods to the glass.

Yes Beca, _yes,_ nice segue. Now just notice, please.

Chloe laughs and picks up the drink again. She twirls the swizzle stick but doesn't stop looking at Beca, her eyes full of mischief. Here's the part Beca was hoping for from the beginning. She knows Chloe's going to lick the swizzle stick even if it's terrible etiquette, and Chloe does. She brings the stick out and finally her eyes break from Beca's as the stick is halfway to her mouth. Then she stops so quickly Beca's worried she broke her. Fuck she's noticed and Beca's heart rate emphatically sky-rockets.

 _I'll still be betting_

"Beca… what's this?" Chloe's voice is thin, barely above a whisper.

Her eyes are locked on the shiny band hanging off the end of her swizzle-stick.

 _You are my one and only love_

"Chloe Beale," Beca strokes a stray lock of red hair away, "will you marry me?"

Chloe doesn't say anything for what feels like an eternity. Beca surprises herself at her noticeable lack of panic and second-guessing, Chloe, though the source of some anxiety, is also the world's best calmer.

"Bec…" Chloe's eyes begin to glisten, and Beca had expected that, Chloe was a crier.

She once cried at a nature documentary because a seal escaped a shark.

Chloe slips the ring off the stick and just holds it between her thumb and forefinger.

"You came into my shaky mess of a life 6 years ago, calling from some fair committee I don't even remember."

"Barden Elementary School Fair Planning Committee," Chloe forgets the ring in her hand for a moment.

"Of course you remember," Beca smiles affectionately.

"I'm still on it."

Beca playfully rolls her eyes and continues.

"You've changed everything I know and everything I thought I knew, and it's been absolutely for the better."

 _Where_ did this speech come from? Beca doesn't care because Chloe is smiling so brightly.

"You've showed me it's okay to love again, and picked up the pieces that I'd given up on long ago."

Chloe's face melts and a single tear leaks out. Beca reaches out and brushes it away, and Chloe instantly covers the hand with her own.

"Chloe, you make me feel so loved, and I love you so much," Beca isn't even worried when she feels the threat of tears behind her eyes.

"So if you'd have me, would you give me the honour of being your wife?" she asks again.

And Chloe nods.

Chloe can't really do anything but nod, and Beca lets out a happy/relieved sort of gasping laugh because she's about to be reduced to a blubbering mess. Chloe leans upwards and Beca is drawn in by some magnetic force that always seems to be latched to Chloe's lips.

She kisses back, and it's nothing special, nothing heated, but Beca never gets tired of the pulse that flows through her every time their lips connect. And this time feels so much more charged, so meaningful. Beca still hasn't quite grasped how much of a softie she's become, especially with Chloe. She never realised a person could feel things so strongly, but Chloe was like a conductor to lightning with that shit, and Beca never wanted it any different.

It isn't until later when they're snuggled on the outdoor couch with the lights of the deck dimmed, that the gravity of how she feels for Chloe hits her.

Chloe doesn't even need to try and Beca's stomach still does a triple kickflip, with her hair as rich as the glass of wine nursed in her hand, and eyes that shimmer charmingly in the low light of the semi-full moon.

 _And we'll live over the valley_

Chloe looks over at her and the gentle look of confusion that graces her features transports Beca back to a time long passed. A time when Beca would idly watch Chloe as she sat in the stands of the school gym and Aubrey would yell at her for not focusing on the court. A time when Beca would unintentionally look for blue eyes in the group of friends across the cafeteria. A time when she'd seek strawberry blonde hair out in drama class when the teacher called for them to pair up. Chloe would look up and catch her eye, with that same look of curiosity and it's now that Beca understands.

 _You'll always be with me_

Chloe wordlessly leans closer and caresses away the tear that Beca didn't realise had fallen, because she realises what the little band on her finger means to Beca. Knows what marriage is to Beca with it's painful memories. Knows how much Beca means it when she asks that question as old as romance.

 _As the moon_

Beca feels so ridiculously warm and fuzzy inside when she replays the memory of slipping the ring over Chloe's finger.

 _Shines_

The foreseeable future is nothing but Chloe and sunshine.

 _Above_

* * *

 **Songs: _Timeless to me_ from Hairspray (love that scene, youtube it), and _Over the Valley_ by Pink Martini, I really suggest looking it up because I think it's such a sweet song and I thought it fit nicely.**

 **I could possibly do a part 3 coz Frank and Donna's wedding was pretty adorable aswell, would you guys want to read that? Please review, I love hearing your feedback :)**

 **-MK**


End file.
